The Effect of Resistance Training on Cardio-Metabolic Factors in Males with Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most important metabolic diseases in the world and exercise is a common advice to manage diabetes and reduce its complications.. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training on blood glucose, blood pressure and resting heart rate in males with type 2 diabetes.. In this semi-experimental study, 20 males with type 2 diabetes with mean age of 46 ± 3.4 years old who met the inclusion criteria were selected. The participants were randomly assigned into resistance training (n = 10) and control (n = 10) groups. Resistance exercise training program was performed for eight weeks, three sessions per week. Cardiovascular and biochemical parameters were measured before and after the intervention. To analyze the measured parameters changes t-test was used at P ≤ 0.05 significance level.. After eight weeks, a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar (P = 0.002), glycosylated hemoglobin (P = 0.025) and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.022) was observed in the resistance group. In addition, there was a significant difference in blood sugar (P = 0.003) and glycosylated hemoglobin (P = 0.031) between the two groups.. Findings of this study confirmed the positive influence of resistance training to control blood glucose and blood pressure in males with type 2 diabetes..